Nothing symbolises the changing world of football more than where footballers are housed. At one time they were seen by the largely local owners of football clubs as artisans and were treated as such, being allocated a house by the club and going to the ground on the bus. On Christmas Day, they might rely on a lift from a fan. Footballers with supplementary sources of income like Sam Bartram at Charlton (he had a sports shop) might be able to afford a semi in a respectable suburb like Bexleyheath and a modest car to go with it. In his excellent book My Father and Other Working-Class Football Heroes Gary Imlach notes that 'The club house stood solidly in the social tradition of tied-housing for key workers ... It was sound business for the clubs - they could assemble a portfolio of property, get a rental return on their investment and help contribute to a stable home life for their key performers.' '[The] eviction clause in the standard tenancy agreement also gave them...